Doors of the foregoing type are exemplified by U.S. Pat. No. 2,048,909 (Woodworth). They consist of a plurality of panels each supported in a frame, with adjacent vertical frame members being connected along their length with piano hinges, with one panel being supported from a wall surface.
Various problems arise with the installation of conventional shower doors, resulting from the wall surfaces not being about vertical and horizontal axes to the lip of the bath or shower pan to be enclosed by the door. A further problem arises in adjusting the door to accommodate variations of the width of the opening to be closed.
A still further problem arises where the door is to be supported from a plaster board wall, particularly where there is no underlaying supporting stud, due to the relatively heavy weight of the glass panels and supporting metal framework. This last problem has been largely overcome recently by the adoption of light-weight plastic materials, particularly hollow, fluted plastic panels, and a surrounding framework which is decorative rather than loadbearing. In this type of construction a plurality of vertically spaced apart hinges has been employed, anchored in openings cut into the panels. The openings must be relatively large, in order to delocalize the stress, and considerable difficulty has been experienced in sealing around the openings. Problems have additionally been encountered in providing an adequate seal between the edges of adjacent panels.
Other problems associated with conventional shower doors relate to their use of hardware which forms surface obstructions, and exposed fasteners. These are difficult to maintain clean and reduce the aesthetic appeal of the shower doors.
It is an object of this invention to provide a shower door construction that is easy to install.
It is a further object of this invention to provide a shower door that may be adjusted to accommodate various structural deficiencies and variations in the walls defining the opening to which the shower door is to be installed.
It is a further object of the invention to provide improved sealing means for a shower door.
It is another object of the invention to provide a light, economically produced, durable shower door construction.
It is yet another object of the invention to provide a shower door that is generally devoid of surface obstructions and exposed fasteners.